What kind of saw would you recomend for segmented work?

[Tom Lewis]

I am getting interested in trying some segmented bowls. Sears has their Craftsman 10" compound miter saw on sale for $89.99
Would this saw be satisfactory for cutting the angles needed for segmented bowls?

[Dick Sowa]

First, get Malcolm Tibbetts book The Art of Segmented Wood Turning. It talks about how to get the angles right and recommends using a disk sander to finalize your segments. He also details how to cut segments with both a table saw and a miter saw.

I use a table saw sled that I made, one sled for each of several angles, and then fine tune the angles with a disk sander. I could go directly glue up from the saw, but the glue surface is seldom as clean as it is coming off the disk sander. Nonetheless, until I got my disk sander, I relied exclusively on the table saw cuts.

The real issue you will deal with is repeatability. You want to get the angles right, and then be able to cut scores, or maybe hundreds of segments to that exact same angle. With the right blade, you should be able to do it with most miter saws.

[David Christopher]

Tom, I use a DUBBY miter sled...I can saw repeated perfect cuts all day and dont need to sand.....and its good for alot of other things

[Jim Kountz]

I cut all mine with my tablesaw and an Incra 1000SE miter gauge. I also made the sanding jig from Malcolms book and after using the jig I realized the cuts arent really "that" important. I mean to say get them as close as possible but the sander is what really trues the pieces prior to gluing.

[Dave Bureau]

Although I have 2 miter saws, I cut mine on a table saw with a sled. remember that you not only need to get the same angle on every piece, but also the same length. All that is explained in Malcolms book and videos.

[Ken George]

How do you sand segments on the sander? Do you use a jig or fixture of some kind or sand to fit?
I tried cutting some segments and they didn't fit well at all. Using the belt sander was no help. What's the secret?

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

After years of "chopping" segments and then disc sanding them using a jig, I have recently been cutting segments on a Festool Kapex chop saw. The accuracy and cleanness of the cuts allows me to now glue directly from the saw blade (at least most of the time), thereby skipping the disc sander and saving many hours of work. I suspect that a fine-turned table saw with a good quality sled and blade will produce the same quality of cut.

The two biggest reasons that I use a chop saw are: I can more easily "gang-cut" segments (big time saver) and by elevating the chop saw (well above waist level), I can make hundreds of cuts without continuous bending of my back. Making 100's of cuts on a table saw is very hard on the back (at least my back).

Tom, back to your question regarding an inexpensive chop saw, you can definitely use such a saw for segment cutting, but you'll probably need to use a sanding jig on a disc sander in order to produce better looking joints.

[curtis rosche]

i use the dewalt sliding compuond miter box at school. if you cut slowly instead of pushing the saw through you wont need to sand them. they will line up perfectly

[jack richington]

I did for over 20 yrs: a swedish miter box..very accurate and just a tad of sanding, and wham-o they fir like a glove..I recently started using my table saw...just get a good way to hold the wood and an accurate way to get your angles

[jack richington]

you can make seg products with a human powered mitre box..I've done it for years..this is 800+ piece of curly maple and purpleheart..

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

you can make seg products with a human powered mitre box..I've done it for years..this is 800+ piece of curly maple and purpleheart..

Jack, are you saying that you "hand-cut" all 800 segments - very impressive. Did you glue directly from the blade or did you need to touch them up a bit on a sander? Nice job on your vase.

Bridge City tools has recently come out with a hand-operated miter saw. I've seen it in operation. It uses a stationary blade with a sled to hold the wood and it produces extremely clean cuts. At $1200, it should produce some nice surfaces. However, I don't think that I want to make 100's (or 1,000's) of "hand-cuts".

[jack richington]

Jack, are you saying that you "hand-cut" all 800 segments - very impressive. Did you glue directly from the blade or did you need to touch them up a bit on a sander? Nice job on your vase.

Bridge City tools has recently come out with a hand-operated miter saw. I've seen it in operation. It uses a stationary blade with a sled to hold the wood and it produces extremely clean cuts. At $1200, it should produce some nice surfaces. However, I don't think that I want to make 100's (or 1,000's) of "hand-cuts".
Yes I cut them all by hand..I use the swedish mitre box and it's about $150.00 and uses no elec..very green!!! the blades that are avail cut very very clean..I do take each piece and run them on sandpaper on a hard flat surface( table saw table) ..very little is needed to get rid of the little wisps that sometimes cling...I have read by some famous seg authors that sanding is necessary..but I have never found it true..my experience only!! I have your book Malcolm..I learned alot, and I about had a case of the vapors that YOU like my vase..I can die now..happy...is there a segmenters heaven?:)